Weapons

Laser Rifle/Autocannon

The Laser Rifle or Autocannon is your default weapon when you have no ammunition for your primary firearm.

The Professor's Choice upgrade level 2 will replace the Laser Rifle with the Autocannon. This is a considerable upgrade over the laser rifle and it can deal impressive damage when enhanced with the damage intensifier. It will sound like it's firing many rounds per turn, but in actual fact only doubles the rate of fire. Shots also become slightly more erratic.

As the Enforcer is quite taller that most common enemies, you will often have to use mouse-look to lower the aim a little when fighting small enemies like Sectoids.

Blade Launcher

The Blade Launcher is unlocked by default. This weapon fires a series of buzzsaw blades that home in on targets. The blades can boomerang on their targets and deal additional damage. Upgrades add the ability to pick up data points and bounce off more targets.

Though it isn't a very powerful weapon compared to other weapons, it is one of the more useful of the weapons you start with due to its homing ability and data point pick up. It's a fairly Hot-Streak friendly weapon as you can concentrate more on dodging and let the weapon's homing ability do most of the precision work for you.

It is recommended to upgrade this as quickly as possible to prevent accidentally downgrading a more powerful weapon.

Flame Thrower

Everyone wanted a flamethrower in X-COM - so we got one. This is the second of the two pre-unlocked weapon. It fires a flame jet that burns deals continuous damage while the trigger is held. Each upgrade consumes ammunition faster but produces more jets, allowing more damage to be dealt.

The flamethrower is useful against small groups of low hit-point enemies, but less effective against tough enemies and bosses. Flames are blocked by enemies, so only enemies immediately facing the flamethrower are hurt.

This weapon should be upgraded as quickly as possible in the event of a Flamethrower spawning in your path while you are holding a much more powerful weapon.

Shotgun

The shotgun fires a bunch of pellets that spread outwards as they travel. It is a very powerful weapon in close quarters and when used at range cut down groups of low hit-point enemies like Sectoids. It has a lot of ammunition so each shotgun will last the Enforcer a good while.

The combination of good damage and longevity make it a safe weapon choice on any difficulty level. However, on harder levels its becomes less effective against mobs unless it is combined with the Damage Intensifier. On XtraSpicy difficulty, it may be better to consider a heavier alternative, such as a the Fusion Rifle.

This weapon benefits greatly from mouse-aim, as firing at a downward angle allows you to hit a nearby enemy with more pellets. Firing without mouse aim may cause some pellets to be wasted as they pass over the target's head.

Freeze Gun

The freeze gun freezes enemies. These enemies subsequently take some damage when they thaw. Frozen enemies are solid and prove to be a hindrance to both aliens and the Enforcer.

This weapon is not an effective damage dealer like most of the other weapons, but it is a good weapon for stalling groups of enemies when you are fleeing from them, and is quite effective against very weak aliens like Sectoids and Snakemen. On harder difficulties like XtraSpicey, it can be quite useful as enemies often appear in very large mobs.

Each upgrades increases the area of effect of the weapon and the damage done when the enemies thaw. Note that its area-effect nature only kicks in when the main projectile hits an unfrozen enemy. Hitting a frozen enemy, wall or the floor in between several enemies will not freeze enemies in the blast radius.

This weapon is best used in open situations where you have room to move and re-target a new set of enemies as the frozen aliens fall behind. It is very dangerous to use in close quarter combat if you are surrounded by enemies as the freeze gun will often auto-target enemies that have already been frozen but not those attacking you. It not effective against bosses and isn't a hot-streak friendly weapon.

Mass Driver

A linear beam rifle that is effectively an energy based sniper rifle. Moderately powerful and shots hit instantly. This makes it a very accurate weapon. Upgrades add small explosions when hitting walls and later when hitting enemies.

It easily slices paths through mobs of enemies and can do good damage against strong enemies and bosses. As long as you keep your concentration on picking off enemy targets precisely, it makes for a friendly Hot-Streak weapon.

It is highly recommended that you do not rely on the game's auto-aim and instead have mouse-look activated when using this weapon. This also grants a firing reticle so you can make much more precise shots.

This weapon may be a homage to a similar linear beam weapon used in Unreal/Unreal Tournament. Enforcer uses the Unreal game engine.

Fusion Rifle

The Fusion Rifle is best described as an energy shotgun that fires purple bouncing energy balls. Unlike a shotgun, shots are all fired at the same vertical alignment. Any missed shots will bounce off walls, allowing them another chance to strike a target. This makes for a fantastic weapon to fire indoors or against large groups of enemies. Its primary downside is that it goes through ammunition very fast.

Lightning gun

The Lightning Gun is an unusual but extremely useful short range weapon for fighting enemy mobs. It fires an arc of (purple) electricity at a nearby enemy that stuns and damages it as long as the electricity is flowing. Upgrades allow the electricity to jump across to more targets. Fully upgraded, as many as nine enemies can be attacked at the same time. Against bosses it will knock out sizeable chunks of health, but does not stun them.

This weapon packs a lots of ammo so it can last quite a long time before you need to pick up another.

Although there are weapons that provide more wide-area devastation, this weapon is a very effective weapon to use on harder difficulty levels. It is reasonably good hot streak weapon as most enemies will not be able to fight back, thus keeping the hot streak bar safe.

Vibroblade XL

The Vibroblade XL is a propeller blade that rips apart anything that the Enforcer runs into. This weapon is part defensive, part offensive. Upgrades allow the propeller to deflect light enemy fire such as from Sectoids and Cyberdiscs right back at them. This allows the Enforcer to safely close in for the attack.

This weapon is a very good anti-mob weapon as it can easily cut through swathes of weak enemies. Against tougher enemies it does a reasonable job of cutting them down to size. Against bosses however, its effectiveness will vary depending on the boss's combat methods and move pattern.

Because this weapon requires the Enforcer to be right up against the action, you may not be able to maintain a Hot Streak indefinitely.

The XL in the name may mean Xtra Large.

Grenade Launcher

The Grenade Launcher fires small grenades that bounce and detonate on contact with an enemy. Each upgrade launches more grenades per shot, in many directions and resulting in massive devastation. Though it is not the most powerful weapon, it is arguably one of the most entertaining weapons in the Enforcer's arsenal. Definitely a weapon that should be tried in at least one play-through.

Mouse-look can be used to adjust the angle the grenades are sprayed.

This weapon Works well on all difficulty levels. Mini bosses fall easy to it while major bosses on higher difficulty levels may need more damage. It's a very good hot-streak weapon.

In addition to weapon upgrades, this weapon benefits a lot from the Enforcer's various mobility enhancements, particularly Jump Jets. The ammunition upgrade is highly recommend as this weapon uses ammunition fast.

Rocket launcher

The rocket launcher is your stock no-nonsense powerful weapon. Each successive upgrade increases the number of missiles fired per shot. The missiles added on each upgrade get a different firing pattern from the standard missile, seeker missiles and drunken missiles. The net effect is that a lot of firepower is thrown out at once.

The Rocket Launcher is not as powerful on a wide scale as the Nuker, but still deals a lot of damage and carries a lot more ammunition. It's effective against mobs, strong enemies or bosses. It's a hot-streak friendly weapon as well.

Psi Cannon

A slow but powerful weapon that fires a psionic blast that travels through targets. The visual appearance of the projectile is misleading as its effects extend beyond the projectile and will hurt enemies standing near it. Upgrades will make the projectile explode on hitting a solid wall and another upgrade will cause it to throw non-boss enemies aside.

It's good at clearing out mobs and does respectable damage against major enemies and bosses.

Nuker

The game's flashiest, most overpowered and perhaps most fun weapon. This weapon fires a huge missile that wipes out an entire screen of enemies in one shot - but does no harm to the Enforcer. It is very effective for combo kills and especially hot streaking. Weak enemy mobs do not stand a chance and bosses sustain massive damage. Weapon upgrades only add an additional shot per upgrade,.

Mouse-look can be used to quickly drop a Nuker missile at your feet in order to clear the air around you quickly if you are surrounded.

This weapon's main weakness is its low ammo count, which you can mitigate with upgrades. Either by gun upgrades, or the Enforcer's extra ammo upgrades. If you are low on Data Points, the Enforcer's ammo upgrades are preferable as it affects all weapons.

The Professor's Choice level 3 upgrade is a also a recommended upgrade. With faster weapon respawn, you'll often have another fresh Nuker in no time.

This weapon is not required to complete easier difficulties, but is almost a necessity on the harder difficulty levels.

Weapon Tips

Though there are many weapons to unlock, it's preferable to stick to a core set of weapons through each play-through of the game. This way you can concentrate your Data Points on fully upgrading these weapons and bring them to their highest potential rather than have all the weapons open but at low levels. A smaller weapon set also allows for a more predictable selection of weapons are respawned.

When choosing to unlock a new weapon (with the exception of the Nuker), try not to buy it unless you've got enough data points to get some or all of the upgrades as well. They are far less effective at their default level than at mid or full level. You also do not want to downgrade your firepower at more advanced stages by having a level 1 weapon suddenly spawn in front of you while you are running.

Power Ups

Repair Pack

The repair pack helps keep the Enforcer alive by restoring lost hit points, making it one of the most useful of the available power ups. This is unlocked from the start. Every upgrade increases the amount of health that is restored.

Hot Streak Helper

While in Hot Streak, the Enforcer gains a random power up at set intervals as long as it is in effect. Power ups that have not yet been unlocked can be obtained this way, but will be treated as if they were at level 1. Weapons not fully upgraded will also be temporarily upgraded.

Power up effects that are not provided during a Hot Streak include: Lazarus system, Bio Magnetic Pulse, Missile Strike, Stasis field and Invulnerator.

Speed Booster

Damage Intensifier

Increases all weapon damage ×2. Each upgrade doubles the multiplier up to a maximum of ×8 damage.

This is very highly recommended upgrade. It completely changes the nature of most weapons, and turns weak weapons - including the default laser rifle/autocannon - into powerful forces to be reckoned with, while powerful weapons start dealing ridiculous amounts of damage. It's an excellent power up to have during major enemy fights or for building up a Hot Streak.

Lazarus System

The Lazarus System power up will revive the Enforcer once if killed during the battle. A 1-Up if you will. Only one Lazarus System can be in effect at a time.

Data Point Multiplier

This power up multiplies every data point you pick up. Initially a ×2 multiplier, it can be eventually be upgraded to a maximum pf ×5. This is a very useful Power Up as any Data Points invested in this upgrade will eventually pay for themselves. Also the more Data Points gathered, the more weapons and upgrades you can invest in.

Bio Magnetic Pulse

This power up wipes out every enemy in your area in an instant. A handy power up but may be redundant if you plan to invest in the Nuker.

Stealth

This power up hides the Enforcer and makes it harder for enemies to target and shoot back. A useful power up for building up Hot Streaks.

Missile Strike

When touched, launches an air strike that blankets the area in missiles. Similar to the Bio Mag Pulse in function but not as instantaneous. Again, may be redundant if you wish to invest in the Nuker or other area effect weapons.

Stasis field

Picking up the Stasis Field freezes enemies around you. A handy effect to have to slow down enemy mobs or stall major enemies.

Attack Bot

This power up creates an independent weapon pod that orbit around the Enforcer, equipped with as laser rifle that fires whenever the Enforcer fires. Upgrades increase the amount of laser beams up to three laser beams.

The Attack Bot is similar to the auxiliary fighter pods found in many side scrolling shooters like Gradius that orbit around the main vessel and provide additional firepower or other functions.

Invulnerator

Since the beginning of First Person Shooters, there have been invulnerability devices. This power up temporarily makes the Enforcer invincible from everything except falling into endless pits. Upgrades extends its duration.

Enforcer Upgrades

Max Speed

Upgrades the Enforcer's moving speed. Upgrade this if you are finding the Enforcer is not running fast enough. Be careful that you do not make the Enforcer too fast, as there are maps that feature bottomless pits with narrow walkways that you need to carefully navigate over.

Jump Jets

Increase your jumping height. Worth upgrading as much as possible for the added mobility, dodging incoming fire or launching mid-air attacks with certain weapons. You have to upgrade this in order to get to some hard-to-get-to places to get the BONUS or Researchable Items balls.

Ammo Capacity

Increases ammo storage for all weapons per upgrade. This is useful to take if you are finding your weapons are running out of ammunition too quickly.

Auto Repair

Repairs the Enforcer slowly over time, up to but not beyond 100 hitpoints. Combined with the repair pack upgrades, this keeps the Enforcer happy and alive.

Note that the Data Point costs for this upgrade are higher than Repair Pack upgrades, and as it caps at 100 hit points, it may be more efficient to concentrate on the Repair Pack upgrades first.